Women and Indigenous Studies – serie

Can the specific concerns of Indigenous women be addressed within current mainstream feminist and post-colonial discussions? Indigenous Women and Feminism: Politics, Activism, Culture proposes that a dynamic new line of inquiry – Indigenous feminism – is necessary to truly engage with the crucial issues of cultural identity, nationalism, and decolonization particular to Indigenous contexts.

Through the lenses of politics, activism, and culture, the questions at the heart of this collection – What is at stake in conceptualizing Indigenous feminism? How does feminism relate to Indigenous claims to land and sovereignty? What lessons can we learn from the past? How do Indigenous women engage ongoing violence and social and political marginalization? – cross disciplinary, national, academic, and activist boundaries to explore deeply the unique political and social positions of Indigenous women.

A vital and sophisticated discussion, these timely essays will change the way we think about modern feminism and Indigenous women.

Established narratives portray Indigenous unity as emerging solely in response to the political agenda of the settler state. But the concept of unity has long shaped the modern Indigenous political movement.

With Indigenous perspectives and frameworks in the foreground, Assembling Unity explores the relationship between global political ideologies and pan-Indigenous politics in British Columbia through the history of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC). Sarah Nickel demonstrates that while unity has been an enduring goal for BC Indigenous peoples, its expression was heavily negotiated between UBCIC members, grassroots constituents, and Indigenous women's organizations.

Nickel draws on oral interviews, newspaper articles, government documents, and UBCIC records to expose the uniquely gendered nature of political work, as well as the economic and emotional sacrifices that activists make. This incisive work unsettles dominant Western and patriarchal political ideals that cast Indigenous men as reactive and Indigenous women as invisible and apolitical.

The stories told by Métis and Cree Aunties are as complex, engaging, and powerful as the women themselves, imbued with generations of wisdom. Visiting with Aunties uses storytelling by and about Aunties to deepen our understanding of Indigenous women's kinship systems, and the important cultural role Aunties play in families and communities.

Ranging from personal reminiscences to historical surveys, this collection is grounded in a uniquely Prairie Métis and Cree perspective. Contributors recount experiences of their own Aunties and as Aunties themselves. Through visiting – working, talking, and sharing knowledge together – they reveal the influence of women-centred governance on such areas as cultural teachings, health and well-being, education, and the arts, in the process shedding light on this vital cultural role.

The women whose voices emerge in this collection challenge colonial representations of Indigenous women. Collectively, they create a living expression and rich tapestry of kinship relationships.